Product Description

The Epiphone Prophecy Les Paul Custom EX Electric Guitar has arrived! As everyone from Jimmy Page to Slash will tell you, there is nothing in this world to compare with the feeling of thrashing a genuine Les Paul through a wall of stacked amps. It's the sound of half a century of rock 'n' roll, distilled to its essence, and turned up to 10. Nothing else comes close, man...

Thanks to Epiphone, you don't have to take their word for it. At the 2008 Winter NAMM in Anaheim, the world's hottest luthier launched the best version yet of the LP design, and putting it within reach of working musicians who demand monster tone and bulletproof performance It's called the Les Paul Prophecy Custom EXand as one of eight new electrics in Epiphone's ground-breaking Prophecy Collection, it's come to rock your world.

Introducing the Epiphone Les Paul Prophecy Custom EX

There's no mistaking that shape. As the only luthier licensed to build official versions of the iconic Les Paul design, Epiphone have based the new Les Paul Prophecy Custom EX on the same cutaway mahogany body you've seen in the hands of your heroes, complete with a highly figured quilted maple top, a moody Midnight Ebony finish, eye-catching pearl control knobs and unique 'blade' fret inlays running along the length of a luxurious ebony fingerboard. It looks amazing...

But there's more to the Epiphone Les Paul Prophecy Custom EX than stunning looks. Pick this beauty up and you'll be seduced by a Speed-Taper mahogany neck (with 24 jumbo frets) that lets you race through the riffs, alongside a tough LockTone tune-o-matic bridge and stop tailpiece that make maintenance and string changes a breeze. The icing on the cake is a pair of the meatiest humbuckers known to man, with an EMG 85 at the neck and an EMG 81 at the bridge. Isn't it time you traded in the tennis racket?

zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
This review has been selected by our experts as particularly helpful.
"This Ain't Your Grandad's Les Paul!"

Sound:
Well, they're EMG pickups so if you don't know what to expect you're getting ACTIVE pickups that are the closest thing to making your guitar into a flamethrower that you can get and still be legal! There's a reason that so many metalheads choose EMG's. They have a very tight focused mid-range and a pristine clear sound. When you add the gain it makes the sound very tight and articulate with plenty of upper harmonics coming through. Some folks claim that you can't get a good clean sound from them. Well, you can IF you roll off the volume a bit. It may not be a glassy rich Strat sound but it's more than adequate for those occassional clean passages. The HEAVY body weight of this guitar (all mahogany wit a maple top) certainly adds to the sustain. The maple top and ebony fretboard (both very dense tone woods)add to the crispness of the sound.
Feature:
Features? Let's see...EMG's, hand stained quilted maple top, ebony fretboard, graphite nut, strap locks, speed taper neck with satin finish, and binding on EVERYTHING!
Some people lament the single volume and tone pots, but that's no biggie for me. It's been my experience that 90% of players just dime everything anyways, so what's the point of having two extra knobs to get in the way of things? Unless, of course, you suffer from knob envy.
Ease of Use:
It's pretty easy to get a good sound out of this guitar. Of course an awful lot depends on your amp and pedals too. Don't expect to plug this into a five watt no-name amp with a six inch speaker and hear the gates of doom.
The graphite nut and Grover tuners keep tuning incredibly stable.
Access to the full 24 frets is somewhat limited due to the inherent Les Paul body design.
The speed taper neck is a thing of beauty. Not quite as thin as an Ibanez Wizard II neck, but certainly thinner than any other Les Paul neck. And the satin finish on the back makes getting around very easy.
Quality:
It's not a Gibson! A Gibson LP is all hand made and finished in lacquer, a process that takes up to two weeks (thus the very high price tag). So making that comparison is like comparing apples and oranges. This one's made in China in Epiphone's new state-of-the-art facility. Probably CNC'ed for the most part. That's not a bad thing! Consistency in quality is worth it. At one time Epiphone was contracting out their guitars to over thirty different manufacturers in Korea and it showed. Quality ran from above average to pitiful. Now it's well above average. Mine had no flaws whatsoever.
Value:
As far as value goes there are other guitars out there with similar specs for less money (Schecter, ESP, Ibanez), but none have ALL of the features that this one does for this price. After all this is a fairly unique guitar. It's closer to a Zakk Wylde LP than the actual EPI Zakk Wylde LP, and for the same price!
Manufacturer Support:
I've emailed Epiphone on several occassions with questions about cases ans such and they've always responded within 24 hours.
The Wow Factor:
While this guitar certainly doesn't break any new ground with it's traditional Les Paul shape it's the features that make this guitar so appealing to me. It certainly is a looker with it's ominous dark finish offset by the white binding. And the inlays on the fretboard and headstock say "This ain't your Grandpa's Les Paul". The pickups are outstanding. The 24 fret ebony fretboard with the slim neck make it a dream to play.
Overall:
A lot of appealing features on this axe. I'm so happy with it that I'd consider purchasing more of the Prophecy series just to check them out. An awesome guitar at a fairly decent price!

Thank you. Your vote has been counted. Could you briefly tell us why the review was or was not helpful?

This review has been selected by our experts as particularly helpful.
"Epiphone finally answered prayers when they made this one..."

Sound:
The sound is just perfect, for me anyway. I play lots of fast, heavy, low-end metal and this guitar by Epiphone is amazing for what I do.
Feature:
What is there not to like about the looks on this thing. Its just beautiful. Excellent paint job and awesome one-of-a-kind inlays, Epiphone really did it right with this one.
Ease of Use:
Usually a Gibson/Epiphone product is a little bit tougher to play as fast as you would like to. With the Prophecy it almost feels like your scaling the neck on a ESP, which are known for their incredibly fast playabilty.
Quality:
Its close to perfect, but its not a Gibson and the balance is slightly off. Still very good and I have no complaints.
Value:
The value is really what makes this guitar so great. You get the EMG 81/85 set, grover locking tuners, extra jumbo frets, and one sexy looking guitar. For what i paid for this guitar i could have bought something much worse and i'm very happy with this guitar and would recommend it to anyone, from beginner to experienced.
Manufacturer Support:
I haven't dealt with Gibson for any work. The only problem I had with the guitar when I bought it was when I went to put better strap locks on I was able to pull the screw right out without even turning a screw driver. Needless to say it upset me but I went back to Guitar Center where I purchased it and they fixed it right up.
The Wow Factor:
Its very eye-catching. It cought me and im glad it did. The beauty of it is that when you play it after gazing at it for awhile, it plays just as good as it looks.
Overall:
Overall this guitar is really amazing. If your a serious guitar player I can't see how you would disslike this product. This is the first guitar of mine that I really really enjoy everytime i pick it up, and find that its hard to put down. If you have a chance to play one you will see my point.

Our extended 45-Day 100% Satisfaction Guarantee applies on
this productBuy it, and if it isn't just right for you, return it!

What Our Customers Are Saying About zZounds "I have ordered from zZounds for several years and the service is always great! Any problems are few and far between and always taken care of instantly!" - Customer on January 8, 2015

A temporary customer reference number is assigned to each customer only while they are shopping on zZounds.com. If you call our customer service department for assistance, this number makes it easier for us to answer any questions you have about products, services or purchases.

A temporary customer reference number is assigned to each customer only while they are shopping on zZounds.com. If you call our customer service department for assistance, this number makes it easier for us to answer any questions you have about products, services or purchases.

1. zZounds offers the industry‘s most musician-friendly payment plans

zZounds offers a variety of Play as You Pay installment plans that allow you to get the gear you want today. While our competitors might offer house credit cards that require you to fill out an application and pass a credit check, our payment plans are easy to get, simple to use, and, best of all, accrue zero interest. Unlike those house credit cards that can leave you vulnerable to exorbitant interest charges once the promotional period ends, we never have and never will charge interest when you take advantage of one of the zZounds Play as You Pay plans.

2. zZounds guarantees the lowest price

Seen it for less somewhere else? Get it for less at zZounds. Simply click the “Seen it for less?” link on any product page and as long as we‘re not losing money, we‘ll beat any legitimate competitor‘s lowest price, usually within two hours. Want our best price even faster? Call us at 800-zZounds (800-996-8637), and we‘ll provide you with a lower price on the phone. Also, if you purchase from us and later find the product for less elsewhere, call or email us within 45 days, and we‘ll refund you the difference.

3. zZounds gets you your gear fast

At zZounds, you‘ll get your gear fast and, usually, with free delivery. Because we have warehouses in New Jersey, Nevada and Mississippi, nearly 95 percent of Americans reside within our two-day shipping zones. Combine this with the fact that many of our best-selling products qualify for free two-day delivery and you get expedited shipping without the additional cost.

4. zZounds makes returns super easy

Buy it, try it, like it, or return it to us for a full refund. It‘s just that simple. If you‘re not in love with what you bought, return it to zZounds within 45 days, and we‘ll promptly arrange for an exchange or a refund. No hassles. No hidden charges. And if a product‘s defective or damaged, call us at 800-zZounds (800-996-8637), and we‘ll email you a prepaid shipping label so you can easily return it to us at zero cost to you.

5. zZounds delivers top-rated customer service

zZounds has received multiple Bizrate® Circle of Excellence Platinum awards, placing us in the top 0.7 percent of Bizrate‘s network of 5,200 retailers. Our success in meeting the needs of our customers -- since 1996, we‘ve satisfied over 1,000,000 people -- is due in large part to the fact that zZounds only hires experienced musicians to answer your calls and emails, and they are never paid a commission.